Faculty of Health Sciences
Occupational Certificate: Health Promotion Officer
Community health workers act as a bridge between vulnerable populations within the community and the providers of professional health services, community services, and social agencies. They perform a crucial function in terms of promoting health by helping people get the care they need.
Studying this course may be a good option if you want to:
- Carry out basic health screening of communities, household groups, and individuals;
- Provide basic health education and referrals for a wide range of services; and
- Support and assist in navigating the health and social services system.
The purpose of this qualification is to prepare a learner to:
- Conduct community, household and individual health assessments and identify health needs and risks (actual and potential) and facilitate the family or an individual to seek the appropriate health service.
- Promote the health of the households and the individuals within these households.
- Refer persons for further health assessment and testing after performing simple basic screening.
- Provide limited, simple health interventions in a household (e.g., basic first aid, oral rehydration, and any other basic intervention that she or he is trained to provide).
- Provide psychosocial support and managing interventions such as treatment defaulter tracing and adherence support.
Course code:
HEAPRO-01
Accreditation status:
- Fully accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)
- SAQA ID: 94597
- NQF Level 3
- 163 Credits
Duration:
22-24 months
Entry requirements:
- NQF Level 1 or equivalent competences in Mathematical Literacy and Communication.
- SAQA equivalency required for non-SA qualifications.
- Physically, learners must be adequately mobile to execute the work within a community and have adequate visual and hearing capacity to master the skills as described in the curriculum document.
Topics covered:
Knowledge Modules (40 credits)
- KM-01: Public and Community Health Support
- KM-02: Family and Community Services
- KM-03: Basics of Community Health
Practical Skill Modules (63 credits)
- PM-01: Mobilise community to address community health issues
- PM-02: Identify the service needs and ease of access to health and social services
- PM-03: Promote healthy lifestyles and mental wellbeing
- PM-04: Promote HIV prevention including HIV testing, condom use, partner reduction, circumcision, STI
- PM-05: Provide information on prevention of accidents and incidents in homes
- PM-06: Record and report on information provided to individuals, households and communities
- PM-07: Promote and provide support for maternal and women’s health
- PM-08: Promote child health
- PM-09: Support community members with psychosocial problems
- PM-10: Provide an integrated approach to support treatment
- PM-11: Identify and treat a select number of minor ailments
- PM-12: Provide basic support to people who are unable to care for themselves
Work Experience Modules (60 credits)
- WM-01: Operation and dynamics of communities
- WM-02: Household registration and assessment processes
- WM-03: Health promotion processes
- WM-04: Formal health provision processes
- WM-05: Emotional and social wellness support processes
- WM-06: Household treatment processes of minor ailments
Assessments:
Students are required to complete the following:
- 3 Formative assessments
- 3 Controlled Summative assessments
- 12 practical assessments
- 6 workplace assessments
- 1 External Integrated Summative Assessment
Eligibility requirements for the External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA):
The EISA is administered by the QCTO. In order to qualify for the EISA, learners must have a copy of a completed and signed Statement of Work Experience as well as proof of successful completion of the Knowledge Modules and Practical Skills Modules.
These are usually combined into one Statement of Results.
Type of certificate awarded:
Upon successful completion of the EISA, students will be awarded the Occupational Certificate: Health Promotion Officer from the QCTO.
Articulation options:
Vertical articulation
- Higher Certificate in Social Auxiliary Work at NQF Level 5
- Further Education and Training Certificate: Community Health Work at NQF Level 4
